2004 Washington Attorney General election
November 2, 2004
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McKenna: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Senn: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2004 Washington Attorney General election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004, to elect the attorney general of Washington, concurrently with the 2004 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the U.S. Senate and various state and local elections, including for U.S. House and governor of Washington.
Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Christine Gregoire retired to run for governor. Republican King County Councilor Rob McKenna defeated Democratic former state Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn to succeed Gregoire.[1] Primary elections took place on September 14.[2]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Deborah Senn, former insurance commissioner of Washington (1993–2001) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2000[3]
Eliminated in primary
- Mark Sidran, former Seattle City Attorney (1990–2002) and candidate for Mayor of Seattle in 2001[4]
Declined
- Christine Gregoire, incumbent attorney general (1993–2005) (ran for governor)[5]
Endorsements
Mark Sidran
Statewide officials
- Gary Locke, incumbent governor of Washington[4]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Deborah Senn |
Mark Sidran |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[6] | September 10–12, 2004 | 471 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 47% | 47% | 6% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Deborah Senn | 365,922 | 50.68% | |
| Democratic | Mark Sidran | 356,125 | 49.32% | |
| Total votes | 722,047 | 100.00% | ||
By county
| County[7] | Deborah Senn | Mark Sidran | Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 395 | 60.03% | 263 | 39.97% | 132 | 20.06% | 658 |
| Asotin | 913 | 61.23% | 578 | 38.77% | 335 | 22.47% | 1,491 |
| Benton | 5,463 | 65.51% | 2,876 | 34.49% | 2,587 | 31.02% | 8,339 |
| Chelan | 2,887 | 56.77% | 2,198 | 43.23% | 689 | 13.55% | 5,085 |
| Clallam | 4,768 | 52.17% | 4,372 | 47.83% | 396 | 4.33% | 9,140 |
| Clark | 18,277 | 67.88% | 8,647 | 32.12% | 9,630 | 35.77% | 26,924 |
| Columbia | 194 | 64.67% | 106 | 35.33% | 88 | 29.33% | 300 |
| Cowlitz | 6,129 | 63.47% | 3,528 | 36.53% | 2,601 | 26.93% | 9,657 |
| Douglas | 1,250 | 59.02% | 868 | 40.98% | 382 | 18.04% | 2,118 |
| Ferry | 404 | 70.02% | 173 | 29.98% | 231 | 40.03% | 577 |
| Franklin | 1,474 | 63.84% | 835 | 36.16% | 639 | 27.67% | 2,309 |
| Garfield | 103 | 60.23% | 68 | 39.77% | 35 | 20.47% | 171 |
| Grant | 2,354 | 60.64% | 1,528 | 39.36% | 826 | 21.28% | 3,882 |
| Grays Harbor | 4,169 | 46.32% | 4,831 | 53.68% | -662 | -7.36% | 9,000 |
| Island | 5,208 | 52.28% | 4,754 | 47.72% | 454 | 4.56% | 9,962 |
| Jefferson | 3,333 | 52.09% | 3,065 | 47.91% | 268 | 4.19% | 6,398 |
| King | 125,591 | 45.24% | 152,001 | 54.76% | -26,410 | -9.51% | 277,592 |
| Kitsap | 16,989 | 47.90% | 18,481 | 52.10% | -1,492 | -4.21% | 35,470 |
| Kittitas | 1,813 | 61.52% | 1,134 | 38.48% | 679 | 23.04% | 2,947 |
| Klickitat | 855 | 67.06% | 420 | 32.94% | 435 | 34.12% | 1,275 |
| Lewis | 2,833 | 51.64% | 2,653 | 48.36% | 180 | 3.28% | 5,486 |
| Lincoln | 553 | 65.91% | 286 | 34.09% | 267 | 31.82% | 839 |
| Mason | 3,349 | 52.94% | 2,977 | 47.06% | 372 | 5.88% | 6,326 |
| Okanogan | 1,853 | 65.25% | 987 | 34.75% | 866 | 30.49% | 2,840 |
| Pacific | 1,618 | 55.00% | 1,324 | 45.00% | 294 | 9.99% | 2,942 |
| Pend Oreille | 910 | 68.84% | 412 | 31.16% | 498 | 37.67% | 1,322 |
| Pierce | 39,690 | 49.73% | 40,113 | 50.27% | -423 | -0.53% | 79,803 |
| San Juan | 1,868 | 57.14% | 1,401 | 42.86% | 467 | 14.29% | 3,269 |
| Skagit | 6,830 | 50.28% | 6,755 | 49.72% | 75 | 0.55% | 13,585 |
| Skamania | 643 | 66.36% | 326 | 33.64% | 317 | 32.71% | 969 |
| Snohomish | 35,206 | 46.97% | 39,751 | 53.03% | -4,545 | -6.06% | 74,957 |
| Spokane | 29,492 | 65.22% | 15,726 | 34.78% | 13,766 | 30.44% | 45,218 |
| Stevens | 1,967 | 66.10% | 1,009 | 33.90% | 958 | 32.19% | 2,976 |
| Thurston | 12,562 | 42.90% | 16,718 | 57.10% | -4,156 | -14.19% | 29,280 |
| Wahkiakum | 340 | 63.67% | 194 | 36.33% | 146 | 27.34% | 534 |
| Walla Walla | 2,304 | 65.83% | 1,196 | 34.17% | 1,108 | 31.66% | 3,500 |
| Whatcom | 11,922 | 57.70% | 8,740 | 42.30% | 3,182 | 15.40% | 20,662 |
| Whitman | 1,560 | 62.00% | 956 | 38.00% | 604 | 24.01% | 2,516 |
| Yakima | 7,853 | 66.96% | 3,875 | 33.04% | 3,978 | 33.92% | 11,728 |
| Totals | 365,922 | 50.68% | 356,125 | 49.32% | 9,797 | 1.36% | 722,047 |
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Rob McKenna, King County Councilor (1996–2005)[8]
Eliminated in primary
- Mike Vaska, attorney[9]
Endorsements
Mike Vaska
Statewide officials
- Daniel J. Evans, former governor of Washington[9]
- Doug Sutherland, incumbent Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands[9]
Individuals
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rob McKenna | 366,906 | 77.61% | |
| Republican | Mike Vaska | 105,848 | 22.39% | |
| Total votes | 472,754 | 100.00% | ||
By county
| County[7] | Rob McKenna | Mike Vaska | Margin | Total votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,278 | 72.49% | 485 | 27.51% | 793 | 44.98% | 1,763 |
| Asotin | 1,345 | 85.83% | 222 | 14.17% | 1,123 | 71.67% | 1,567 |
| Benton | 12,838 | 82.40% | 2,742 | 17.60% | 10,096 | 64.80% | 15,580 |
| Chelan | 5,111 | 83.79% | 989 | 16.21% | 4,122 | 67.57% | 6,100 |
| Clallam | 5,684 | 79.45% | 1,470 | 20.55% | 4,214 | 58.90% | 7,154 |
| Clark | 16,199 | 71.20% | 6,551 | 28.80% | 9,648 | 42.41% | 22,750 |
| Columbia | 615 | 90.18% | 67 | 9.82% | 548 | 80.35% | 682 |
| Cowlitz | 3,633 | 76.78% | 1,099 | 23.22% | 2,534 | 53.55% | 4,732 |
| Douglas | 2,944 | 82.23% | 636 | 17.77% | 2,308 | 64.47% | 3,580 |
| Ferry | 753 | 75.60% | 243 | 24.40% | 510 | 51.20% | 996 |
| Franklin | 3,229 | 84.55% | 590 | 15.45% | 2,639 | 69.10% | 3,819 |
| Garfield | 333 | 80.43% | 81 | 19.57% | 252 | 60.87% | 414 |
| Grant | 5,676 | 83.84% | 1,094 | 16.16% | 4,582 | 67.68% | 6,770 |
| Grays Harbor | 2,436 | 78.78% | 656 | 21.22% | 1,780 | 57.57% | 3,092 |
| Island | 5,751 | 74.23% | 1,997 | 25.77% | 3,754 | 48.45% | 7,748 |
| Jefferson | 2,250 | 75.99% | 711 | 24.01% | 1,539 | 51.98% | 2,961 |
| King | 92,676 | 78.43% | 25,488 | 21.57% | 67,188 | 56.86% | 118,164 |
| Kitsap | 16,019 | 75.87% | 5,094 | 24.13% | 10,925 | 51.75% | 21,113 |
| Kittitas | 3,438 | 85.42% | 587 | 14.58% | 2,851 | 70.83% | 4,025 |
| Klickitat | 1,146 | 83.65% | 224 | 16.35% | 922 | 67.30% | 1,370 |
| Lewis | 5,653 | 79.51% | 1,457 | 20.49% | 4,196 | 59.02% | 7,110 |
| Lincoln | 1,558 | 83.27% | 313 | 16.73% | 1,245 | 66.54% | 1,871 |
| Mason | 3,095 | 76.34% | 959 | 24.66% | 2,136 | 52.69% | 4,054 |
| Okanogan | 3,285 | 80.34% | 804 | 19.66% | 2,481 | 60.67% | 4,089 |
| Pacific | 1,031 | 80.74% | 246 | 19.26% | 785 | 61.47% | 1,277 |
| Pend Oreille | 1,402 | 80.02% | 350 | 19.98% | 1,052 | 60.05% | 1,752 |
| Pierce | 38,037 | 74.70% | 12,885 | 25.30% | 25,152 | 49.39% | 50,922 |
| San Juan | 1,250 | 82.29% | 269 | 17.71% | 981 | 64.58% | 1,519 |
| Skagit | 7,567 | 78.80% | 2,036 | 21.20% | 5,531 | 57.60% | 9,603 |
| Skamania | 659 | 70.78% | 272 | 29.22% | 387 | 41.57% | 931 |
| Snohomish | 33,492 | 75.35% | 10,957 | 24.65% | 22,535 | 50.70% | 44,449 |
| Spokane | 35,843 | 75.71% | 11,497 | 24.29% | 24,346 | 51.43% | 47,340 |
| Stevens | 4,161 | 82.38% | 890 | 17.62% | 3,271 | 64.76% | 5,051 |
| Thurston | 11,982 | 76.14% | 3,755 | 23.86% | 8,227 | 52.28% | 15,737 |
| Wahkiakum | 194 | 72.66% | 73 | 27.34% | 121 | 45.32% | 267 |
| Walla Walla | 5,059 | 83.13% | 1,027 | 16.87% | 4,032 | 66.25% | 6,086 |
| Whatcom | 12,374 | 87.09% | 1,835 | 12.91% | 10,539 | 74.17% | 14,209 |
| Whitman | 3,353 | 86.06% | 543 | 13.94% | 2,810 | 72.13% | 3,896 |
| Yakima | 13,557 | 74.44% | 4,654 | 25.56% | 8,903 | 48.89% | 18,211 |
| Totals | 366,906 | 77.61% | 105,848 | 22.39% | 261,058 | 55.22% | 472,754 |
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Nominee
- J. Bradley Gibson, attorney[10]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | J. Bradley Gibson | 12,710 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 12,710 | 100.00% | ||
| Elections in Washington (state) |
|---|
General election
Post-primary endorsements
Rob McKenna (R)
Newspapers
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Deborah Senn (D) |
Rob McKenna (R) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyUSA[6] | October 29–31, 2004 | 617 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 43% | 49% | 8% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rob McKenna | 1,425,368 | 52.98% | +14.75% | |
| Democratic | Deborah Senn | 1,163,964 | 43.27% | –12.71% | |
| Libertarian | J. Bradley Gibson | 56,792 | 2.11% | –1.83% | |
| Green | Paul Richmond | 44,020 | 1.64% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,690,144 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
By county
| County[12] | Deborah Senn Democratic |
Rob McKenna Republican |
Various candidates Other parties |
Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 1,322 | 27.59% | 3,340 | 69.71% | 129 | 2.69% | 2,018 | 42.12% | 4,791 |
| Asotin | 3,124 | 38.37% | 4,716 | 57.93% | 301 | 3.70% | 1,592 | 19.56% | 8,141 |
| Benton | 17,716 | 28.49% | 42,465 | 68.28% | 2,011 | 3.23% | 24,749 | 39.79% | 62,192 |
| Chelan | 8,759 | 31.52% | 18,176 | 65.41% | 852 | 3.07% | 9,417 | 33.89% | 27,787 |
| Clallam | 13,938 | 41.34% | 18,321 | 54.34% | 1,459 | 4.33% | 4,383 | 13.00% | 33,718 |
| Clark | 64,613 | 41.53% | 85,111 | 54.70% | 5,874 | 3.78% | 20,498 | 13.17% | 155,598 |
| Columbia | 572 | 29.24% | 1,331 | 68.05% | 53 | 2.71% | 759 | 38.80% | 1,956 |
| Cowlitz | 19,097 | 48.18% | 19,138 | 48.28% | 1,405 | 3.54% | 41 | 0.10% | 39,640 |
| Douglas | 3,850 | 30.22% | 8,547 | 67.09% | 342 | 2.68% | 4,697 | 36.87% | 12,739 |
| Ferry | 1,114 | 36.19% | 1,810 | 58.80% | 154 | 5.00% | 696 | 22.61% | 3,078 |
| Franklin | 4,828 | 31.05% | 10,266 | 66.02% | 455 | 2.93% | 5,438 | 34.97% | 15,549 |
| Garfield | 348 | 28.95% | 821 | 68.30% | 33 | 2.75% | 473 | 39.35% | 1,202 |
| Grant | 7,252 | 29.46% | 16,575 | 67.33% | 789 | 3.21% | 9,323 | 37.87% | 24,616 |
| Grays Harbor | 11,897 | 44.93% | 13,566 | 51.24% | 1,014 | 3.83% | 1,669 | 6.30% | 26,477 |
| Island | 14,425 | 40.28% | 20,228 | 56.48% | 1,159 | 3.24% | 5,803 | 16.20% | 35,812 |
| Jefferson | 9,438 | 53.17% | 7,503 | 42.27% | 808 | 4.55% | -1,935 | -10.90% | 17,749 |
| King | 421,843 | 50.39% | 383,397 | 45.80% | 31,953 | 3.82% | -38,446 | -4.59% | 837,193 |
| Kitsap | 48,133 | 42.55% | 60,644 | 53.61% | 4,347 | 3.84% | 12,511 | 11.06% | 113,124 |
| Kittitas | 5,372 | 35.48% | 9,213 | 60.85% | 556 | 3.67% | 3,841 | 25.37% | 15,141 |
| Klickitat | 3,506 | 41.63% | 4,540 | 53.91% | 375 | 4.45% | 1,034 | 12.28% | 8,421 |
| Lewis | 9,209 | 30.20% | 20,124 | 65.99% | 1,161 | 3.81% | 10,915 | 35.79% | 30,494 |
| Lincoln | 1,507 | 27.71% | 3,758 | 69.09% | 174 | 3.20% | 2,251 | 41.39% | 5,439 |
| Mason | 9,770 | 41.08% | 12,909 | 54.29% | 1,101 | 4.63% | 3,139 | 13.20% | 23,780 |
| Okanogan | 5,399 | 36.03% | 8,877 | 59.24% | 710 | 4.74% | 3,478 | 23.21% | 14,986 |
| Pacific | 4,711 | 49.28% | 4,411 | 46.14% | 438 | 4.58% | -300 | -3.14% | 9,560 |
| Pend Oreille | 2,199 | 37.58% | 3,382 | 57.80% | 270 | 4.61% | 1,183 | 20.22% | 5,851 |
| Pierce | 126,703 | 42.42% | 161,770 | 54.16% | 10,233 | 3.43% | 35,067 | 11.74% | 298,706 |
| San Juan | 5,054 | 53.42% | 3,776 | 39.92% | 630 | 6.66% | -1,278 | -13.51% | 9,460 |
| Skagit | 20,310 | 40.89% | 27,594 | 55.55% | 1,767 | 3.56% | 7,284 | 14.66% | 49,671 |
| Skamania | 2,068 | 43.76% | 2,363 | 50.00% | 295 | 6.24% | 295 | 6.24% | 4,726 |
| Snohomish | 118,422 | 42.18% | 152,846 | 54.44% | 9,480 | 3.38% | 34,424 | 12.26% | 280,748 |
| Spokane | 73,132 | 38.08% | 113,682 | 59.19% | 6,254 | 3.26% | 40,550 | 21.11% | 193,068 |
| Stevens | 5,973 | 31.28% | 12,280 | 64.30% | 845 | 4.42% | 6,307 | 33.02% | 19,098 |
| Thurston | 43,051 | 40.44% | 58,156 | 54.63% | 5,254 | 4.94% | 15,105 | 14.19% | 106,461 |
| Wahkiakum | 850 | 42.78% | 1,035 | 52.09% | 102 | 5.13% | 185 | 9.31% | 1,987 |
| Walla Walla | 7,092 | 33.09% | 13,665 | 63.76% | 676 | 3.15% | 6,573 | 30.67% | 21,433 |
| Whatcom | 36,899 | 44.51% | 42,061 | 50.74% | 3,935 | 4.75% | 5,162 | 6.23% | 82,895 |
| Whitman | 6,612 | 39.83% | 9,284 | 55.93% | 704 | 4.24% | 2,672 | 16.10% | 16,600 |
| Yakima | 23,856 | 33.96% | 43,687 | 62.18% | 2,714 | 3.86% | 19,831 | 28.23% | 70,257 |
| Totals | 1,163,964 | 43.27% | 1,425,368 | 52.98% | 100,812 | 3.75% | 261,404 | 9.72% | 2,690,144 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Benton (largest city: Kennewick)
- Clallam (largest city: Port Angeles)
- Clark (largest city: Vancouver)
- Cowlitz (largest city: Longview)
- Franklin (largest city: Pasco)
- Grays Harbor (largest city: Abderdeen)
- Island (largest city: Oak Harbor)
- Kitsap (largest city: Bremerton)
- Kittitas (largest city: Ellensburg)
- Mason (largest city: Shelton)
- Pend Oreille (largest city: Newport)
- Pierce (largest city: Tacoma)
- Skagit (largest city: Mount Vernon)
- Skamania (largest city: Carson)
- Snohomish (largest city: Everett)
- Spokane (largest city: Spokane)
- Thurston (largest city: Lacey)
- Wahkiakum (largest city: Puget Island)
- Whatcom (largest city: Bellingham)
- Whitman (largest city: Pullman)
- Yakima (largest city: Yakima)
Notes
References
- ^ https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/mckenna-commands-solid-lead-1158375.php
- ^ https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/attorney-general-senn-takes-slim-lead-in-race-to-1154166.php
- ^ "Four running for AG". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ^ a b https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/sidran-runs-for-attorney-general-1140395.php
- ^ https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/gregoire-vs-rossi-for-governor-1154175.php
- ^ a b SurveyUSA
- ^ a b c d e Reed, Sam (September 14, 2004). "Elections Search Results September 2004 Primary Attorney General". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2004/jun/17/mckenna-hopes-to-become-the-peoples-attorney-2/
- ^ a b c d https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/issaquah-lawyer-to-run-for-attorney-general-1131073.php
- ^ "Voters' pamphlet - State General Election November 2, 2004" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2023.
- ^ Editorial Board, The Seattle Times (October 31, 2004). "The Seattle Times endorses ..." The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ^ a b Reed, Sam (November 2, 2004). "Elections Search Results November 2004 General Attorney General". Secretary of State of Washington. Retrieved January 15, 2026.